The rich say change is impossible – it’s not
The wealthiest 1% hope to make social change seem like an impossible goal. But the various capitalist crises are taking their toll on young and working-class people in a way that cannot be ignored. This is why more and more young people consider themselves socialists.
This is why the Socialist Students conference is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to get involved, but doesn’t know where to start. It is an opportunity to link up with others to share and develop ideas.
It is very easy to feel politically isolated, that every effort made to fix the system is meaningless. By attending Socialist Students conference you get to see how a democratic organisation operates.
It is also a great opportunity to meet and socialise with other young socialists from up and down the country.
Socialist Students groups have a lot to prepare for.
As the Tories continue to splinter and break apart, Keir Starmer’s Labour looks set to run the country. This government will not be run in the interests of students. Starmer has shown himself to be no friend of the working class.
It’s imperative that we discuss how best to tackle capitalist policies, and defend our right to an education that doesn’t cause a mountain of debt once we’re finished.
Starmer’s Labour doesn’t just threaten students. His refusal to promise to scrap all the Tory anti-union laws means that workers will still find their rights under attack. Students and workers need to link our causes together.
The majority of Labour MPs voted with the Tories against a ceasefire in the brutal and relentless war on Gaza. Many MPs that did back a ceasefire, only did so because of the immense pressure felt by the continuous protests.
Rishi Sunak was also forced to sack ultra-right-wing home secretary Suella Braverman. This proves our actions have results. The next step forward is to discuss what we can do to put pressure on this government, with student walkouts and more.
Tom Porter-Brown, Birmingham Socialist Students
Reality of education has made us socialists
Teachers can’t teach lessons properly because they are way too overworked and underpaid. Because there aren’t enough teachers, PhD students are heavily relied on, which drives the wages even lower.
Students enter higher education to experience what it is like to live like an adult for the first time, and to discover themselves. But they can’t even afford that. At 18 years old, they have to take a loan, almost equivalent to a downpayment for a house. It’s a predatory practice.
They then have to deal with accommodation. In the first year, you are lucky if you get a place that doesn’t smell of mould, or isn’t the size of a coat closet.
After that, you have to fight every year to get a basic room that won’t cost you your life savings. Almost all educational institutes in the UK give no support to students either, from meals or tutoring, that the teachers have to do off-hours. The system has beaten everyone. This is why students should be socialists.
Faisal Aljenaid, Surrey Socialist Students
